Undergarment.



W. L. NORTON.

UNDERGARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. 1914.

1, 146,092. Patented July 13, 1915.

WITNESSES: llVl/E/V TOR BY I f 1% ATTORNEY WILLIAM L. NORTON, orxansas CITY, MIssonnI.

UNDERGABMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pgflgnted 3 1 713 1915 Application filed June 19, 1914. Serial No. 846,177.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILL AM L. NORTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Undergarments; and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to wearing apparel and more particularly to undergarments, the particular object in view being to provide a more comfortable undergarment of the athletic or knee-length type.

To this end the invention resides in providing the knee portions ofknee-length undergarments with a suitable extension whereby the rubbing, chafing or binding, or otherwise objectionable features, which are frequently experienced by the wearers of such garments, are in a great measure eliminated.

Having the above-stated general object in view, the invention will now be described by reference to several forms of embodiment thereof, as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, after which the particular features deemed to be novel will be severally specified in the appended claim;

In the drawing-Figure 1 is a rear plan view of an athletic undergarment embodying one form of the improvements forming the subject matter of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation illustrating the garment in use; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, showing a side View of one of the knee portions of the garment with an extension thereto of the same form as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. i is a fragnentary plan view of one of the knee portions of the garment with a modified form of extension; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of said knee portions with a further modified form of extension.

Referring to the drawing, an undergarment is illustrated having a body portion 2., which may be of any of the common forms now in general use, having the leg portions 4 of approximately knee-length. In the present invention, however, these leg portions are provided with flaps or apron-like extensions which will be adapted to overlie the knee of the wearer on taking a sitting posture as illustrated in Fig. 2, and likewise be adapted to constantly overlie or embrace the knee without binding in any other than standing position of the wearer. In the form of flap or extension disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the same comprises an apron 6 secured by stitching 8 to the lower edge of the knee portion 4c. This apron is of such length as to continue to overlie the knee of the wearer at all times, regardless of the wearers position, and is of such width as to leave its rear edges spaced apart, forming a gap 10 to facilitate the free movement of the knee joint without any binding of the apron.

In Fig. 4 the flap or apron is formed as simply a continuation of the goods or material comprising the leg portion of the garment without the use of any stitching 8 as in the first form of apron; but the rear edges of this modified form are spaced apart to provide the same character of gap 10 for the purposes above stated.

In Fig. 5, the leg portion 4 is provided with the continuous apron extension 6, and the gap 1.0 is formed by simply slitting the extension, as illustrated, which slit may, obviously, be either at the rear or at the side of the garment and still afford the necessary freedom of movement of the knee joint; but it is preferred, to locate the slit always at the rear so as to make certain that the extension will have no tendency to work away sidewise from the points around the knee.

In the usual athletic undergarmenthav ing the knee-length leg portions, the lower edges of the leg portions tend, in other than standing positions of the wearer, to shift to a position somewhat above the knee, as illustrated by the seam of stitching S in Fig. 2. This exposes the knee to rubbing contact with the outer garment, which is frequently of a material calculated to chafe and irritate such rubbed portions, to the wearers great discomfort. To avoid this it has become more or less common to sew a patch of lining of silk or similar material to the interior of the outer garment at the knees, which practice is objectionable because making it more difficult to make the outer garment hold its shape. If the wearer seeks to overcome the chafing objection by adopting a garment with longer leg portions, he still is troubled with binding of theknee portions about his knees, when not standing, since the knee extensions are continuous about the knee joints; moreover, since such knee-extensions completely inclose the knee joints, they are more or less close-fitting when the wearer is sitting, and consequently not so cool or otherwise so comfortable as a loose-fitting extension such as provided by this invention. It will thus be apparent that the object of the invention is simply and effectively accomplished by providing an apron extension open at one side or the rear thereof to afford full freedom to the knee joints by eliminating any binding about the joints and completely protecting the knees at all times from any rubbing or chafing contact with the outer garment.

Nhile the forms of the invention herein illustrated are what have been found to be satisfactory forms of embodiment of the same, the right is reserved to such changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the following claim.

Claim:

In an undergarment, a body portion having leg portions of approximately kneelength, and extensions to said leg portions for extending below the knee, the rear portion of each extension having a gap therein extending from its lower edge to the lower end of the corresponding leg portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. NORTON.

Witnesses:

C. W. GERARD, CONGER B. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

